Sikdamakha - the next cleanest village of Assam?

A village in West Karbi Anglong is striving to become Assam’s cleanest village. Sikdamakha, the village in West Karbi Anglong embarked on this journey well before the launch of PM Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. A predominantly Christian village, people of Sikdamakha will consider this their Christmas gift. The village, which has Tiwas and Karbis, was declared the cleanest in West Karbi Anglong district by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) on October 15. "Sikdamakha village is unique. It has shown others what could be done for a clean environment. We don't know when the state will declare the status of cleanest village in Assam. There will be a team that will verify Sikdamakha's declaration. If it gets the tag before Christmas, it will be the best Christmas gift," said an official of the council to a media house. The competition for the cleanest village in Assam is part of a state version of INDOSAN (Indian Sanitation Conference) that instils healthy competition among villages, towns and cities. The state version has each and every district declaring a particular village as the cleanest. "The chance of Sikdamakha getting the tag is high. It is located in a hilly terrain and the population is low. A team has been dispatched to verify the declared villages in the district. It will take some time to name the cleanest village in Assam," said an official of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sikdamakha villagers keep a bamboo basket in front of their homes which serve as organic bins. It is the duty of the villagers to collect any piece of paper, plastic and packets strewn on the road.